How is infection with H5N1 virus in humans treated? The H5N1 virus currently infecting birds in Asia that has caused human illness and death is resistant to amantadine and rimantadine, two antiviral medications commonly used for influenza. Two other antiviral medications, oseltamavir and zanamavir, would probably work to treat flu caused by the H5N1 virus, though studies still need to be done to prove that they work.

Antiviral Agents for InfluenzaFour different influenza antiviral drugs (amantadine, rimantadine, oseltamivir, and zanamivir) are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment and/or prophylaxis of influenza. All four have activity against influenza A viruses. However, sometimes influenza strains can become resistant to these drugs, and therefore the drugs may not always be effective. For example, analyses of some of the 2004 H5N1 viruses isolated from poultry and humans in Asia have shown that the viruses are resistant to two of the medications (amantadine and rimantadine). Monitoring of avian viruses for resistance to influenza antiviral medications is ongoing.

Obviously there is change in the virus so medications and treatments will change as it mutates, much as the AID's virus changes. It will be a war against a micro invader that changes its weapons and tactics, that will require science in the macro world to do the same.

As far the effective treatment is concerned there is no effective vaccine been developed yet. However there are some drugs available that are found to be working on the fatal disease, they are-
Amantadine,
Rimantadine,
Oseltamivir, and
Zanamivir
These are the only four drugs that have been approved by the FDA and have been found to effective over the current epidemics of rapidly spreading influenza.
Researchers are working to develop the vaccines however; it is difficult to say when these new vaccines are coming to the markets. For more information on bird flu and its drugs, visit http://www.drugdelivery.ca/bird-flu.aspx